Freshly baked bread is a winner with a winter soup or hearty stew, especially if it is a crunchy crust, open-crumbed loaf that you can eat warm. Normally a bread like that will take a while, even overnight. But you can do this in around four hours.
Although four hours seem long enough, the actual time working on it is less than 30 minutes.
Here is my step-by-step method.
Equipment
A large bowl to mix and rise the dough.
A cast iron dutch oven, around 7 litres volume, with an oven-proof lid.
An oven that will hold the pot and its lid.
Ingredients
1 sachet instant yeast, 7 – 10g
550ml warm water
7 cups of flour – AP or bread flour – start with 6 cups and add more as needed
Olive oil
Salt
Method with timing
14h30
Add sachet of instant yeast, 1 tsp sugar and 550ml warm water to large mixing bowl and stir. As soon as the yeast starts bubbling, add two cups (250ml each) and mix well with a large spoon.
Add two more cups of flour, about 2tsp of salt and a good glug of olive oil and mix through. Add two more cups of flour and mix until roughly combined.
Tip dough onto work surface and scrape out any excess dough or flour sticking to the side of the bowl.
Knead for about 10min until you have a nice elastic dough that springs back when you poke it with a finger. If it is too wet, add a tiny amount of flour at a time.
Shape into ball to create surface tension, rub on a bit of oil and place in the same mixing bowl. Cover with a dinner plate.
15h00 – 16h00
Leave to rise for an hour or until doubled in size.
16h00 – 17h00
Stretch dough into a ball shape and dust with flour. Place back into bowl with the rough side on the bottom and cover to rise again.
Set oven rack low enough to accommodate your dutch oven when the lid is on and set to preheat to 230°C (450°F). Place the pot without the lid in the oven. It has to be fully hot before you drop the dough in.
Prepare a space where you can safely place the very hot pot on the counter. I prefer a wooden chopping board on the kitchen counter. Get a blade or sharp knife to score the dough with. Keep the lid handy for when you need to put it on.
Just before 17h00, loosen the ball of dough in the bowl carefully with your hands. The dough will deflate slightly, but it does not matter.
17h00 to 17h30
Remove the hot pot from the oven and close the oven door to retain the heat. Carefully loosen the dough and lift it out using both hands. Using both hands, place the dough in the pot, rough side at the bottom. You may have to drop it a bit to avoid burning your hands on the pot.
Score the dough, put the lid on and bake for 30 minutes.
17h30 to 18h00
Remove the pot from the oven, take the lid off and return to the oven. After 15min you can lower the temperature if the bread looks like burning.
18h00
Take the bread out of the oven and test for doneness.
Tilt onto a cooling rack – easier if you have someone to help you handle the heavy dutch oven. The bread will be cool enough to eat anytime from 18h30.
Crusty bread from start to finish in about four hours.
